Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change (17 page)

She finished laying out fresh bedding when Mark walked in. “Nat is fine. It was just a cut, but it was deep. He ran into something out there, but we’ve cleaned and stapled it and Eliseo will keep an eye on it. How are you?”

“I’m a wreck,” she said. “I want to kill someone.”

“Does this have to do with the rest of the vandalism happening around here?”

“Yes.” She pulled out her phone and showed him the message. “Every time something happens, I get a taunting email and Aaron’s tech-goddess tells me the person is using my Wi-Fi connection to send the messages. I’m so frustrated I don’t know what to do.”

He gave her a hug. “I’m sorry. If there’s anything else I can do, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Thanks for coming right over. I appreciate it.”

“Any
time. You know I love these beasts and I still feel like I owe you for taking all of this on.”

Polly put her hand on the stall door. “This whole place and everything in it is part of me now. You don’t owe me anything. I can’t imagine living without my animals and my friends.”

“It’s a little too early to be that philosophical.”

“Whatever,” she said. “So, have you talked to Sal lately?” Sal Kahane was one of Polly’s closest friends from Boston. She’d met Mark Ogden last year and the two had fallen into a strange long-distance relationship. They’d probably get married before she and Henry did, even if they didn’t see each other very often.

“We talked last night.”

“When are you seeing her again?”

“Probably not for a while,” he grimaced. “There’s too much going on for both of us.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Of course I’m not, but what am I supposed to do?”

“You need to see her. She needs to see you.”

“Did she say something?”

“No, but she sounds lonely.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I’m lonely too.”

“You two are nuts, you know. I can’t imagine doing what you’re doing and maintaining any sanity.”

“You barely maintain sanity as it is,” he laughed. “I’m going to check the other two and then start my day.” He turned to leave.

“Thanks again, Mark.”

“No problem.”

Eliseo took the rake from Polly. “You and Rebecca go back up to the apartment. I’ll take care of Daisy. I think Rebecca is looking forward to telling her mom what happened.”

“Thank you, Eliseo. I’ll make sure the coffee is ready.”

“I’ll be up in a bit.” He grinned at her. “And then I’d better travel around the property looking for horse droppings. I don’t want cars driving over that.”

“Come on, Rebecca. Let’s get cleaned up and have some breakfast.”

The two walked up to Sycamore House and Polly said. “How did you like watching Doc Ogden fix Nat’s leg?”

“That was really cool. Andrew is going to be jealous that I got to see him do that. But he gets to be around you when you find dead bodies. He’s still ahead of me.”

“I’m a terrible influence on you kids,” Polly said, holding the side door open for Rebecca to walk through.

“No, you’re awesome. Mom never let me do things like this before.”

“Hold on just a minute, I promised Eliseo I would make coffee for him.” Polly went into the office and flipped on the coffee pot. The clock read six thirty. They’d had a long morning already.

“I need to take Obiwan outside. When we get upstairs, you can take the first shower.”

“Do you want me to make breakfast? I do that when Mom isn’t feeling very good or when she worked late the night before.”

“That would be fantastic. What is your favorite thing to make?”

“Sometimes I make pancakes, but I can cook eggs and bacon and toast.”

“I have eggs and bacon in the refrigerator. I’ll slice some bread for toast and start the coffee pot before I take Obiwan out.”

“Can I feed the cats too?”

“Absolutely. They’ll love you forever. Race?”

They ran up the steps giggling until Polly put her finger over her lips. “We don’t want to wake the neighbors,” she whispered and opened the door to the apartment.

Before she went outside with Obiwan, Polly sliced bread and started the coffee pot. Her dog was thrilled to head down the back steps and when she opened the back door, he took off at a run. All of a sudden, she felt weak, like she’d run a long distance race.

She leaned
on the sill, pulled out her phone and placed a call.

“Good
morning, Polly. You’re up early,” Henry said.

“The vandal let my horses out. I had to call Eliseo at five o’clock to come help me get them in and Nat cut his leg. Mark has already been here to staple it and now I’m waiting for Obiwan to do his thing and Rebecca is making breakfast and …”

“Whoa. Slow down. Are you okay?”

“I’m exhausted. I know that Rebecca and I have to go to Boone, but I’m afraid I’m about to be a bad babysitter. I’m going to let Rachel watch television while I take a nap.”

“Polly, I’m so sorry. Did you get an email this time?”

“Yeah. This one was a little nastier. Henry, we have to figure out who this is. I can’t take it anymore.” She heard the whine in her own voice, but exhaustion and frustration had taken control.

“You’re right, Polly. I really haven’t given it enough thought. There isn’t anyone that I can think of who would do this. Have you called the police?”

“I’ll call them later. I just want to go back upstairs and collapse.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

“Eliseo came right over and even Rebecca helped. She was the one who woke me up because she heard something outside.”

“I’m surprised Obiwan didn’t hear it. He’s usually pretty good.”

“I don’t know. I’m just glad she was here.”

“Can I do anything for you today?”

“No. I’ll take Obiwan in and then get a shower. Rebecca is making breakfast and then I think we’re going to sit down on the couch until I can move again.”

“I love you, Polly and I’ll see you later.”

“I love you too.”

After they hung up, she called for Obiwan. He wasn’t happy to come back, but breakfast was always a good motivator. He ran up the steps and into the kitchen to find that Rebecca had already put his food out. The little girl was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, her hair was wet and she was singing in the kitchen. Polly smiled as she watched, then went into the bathroom, shut the door and turned on the shower.

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Not wanting to push the little girl, Polly was hesitant to ask too many questions. But Rebecca’s fidgeting in the passenger seat was becoming more and more pronounced.

“What’s up, sweetie?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing seems to be bothering you a lot, but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.”

“I wish I had something to make Mom’s hospital room nicer. The only flowers in there are the ones you took her last week. She doesn’t have anyone to give her things.”

“What would you like to take to her?” Polly asked. “We can stop at the gift shop and get flowers. Or maybe a balloon?”

“I should have gone to our house. She’d probably like her robe and maybe one of her candles. She loves candles, Polly.”

“I don’t think she can light candles in the hospital room, but if you want to get one so she can have it later, we could do that. Would you like to buy her a pretty robe?”

Rebecca’s face lit up, “Could we? Hers isn’t very pretty, but it’s warm.”

“We’ll stop and buy one for her. How does that sound?”

“It’s probably too much money and we can’t afford it anyway. How is Mom going to work if she has cancer?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. You have enough to worry about. I can afford a robe and a nice candle.”

Rebecca got quiet again and Polly asked, “Is something else worrying you?” She drove past the corner for the hospital to the south side of town. The big department store would have everything they needed.

“Polly?”

“Yes, Rebecca.”

“What’s going to happen to me if Mom dies?”

Polly took a breath, looked around quickly, turned off onto a side street and parked her truck. This conversation needed her full attention. “That’s a tough question, Rebecca. How long have you been thinking about this?”

“A long time. Mom is really sick and she doesn’t think she’s going to live very long.”

Polly’s heart broke. Both Rebecca and Sarah had to get on board in order to fight this. “First of all, the doctors aren’t giving up. You both have to believe she’ll get better. Do you?”

“I don’t know. Mom
quit talking about it when I asked.”

“Well, I’m not ready to believe that your mom is going to die, but if that happens, Rebecca, she will make sure that you are in the best place possible so you have a great family and a wonderful future. You trust her to do that for you, don’t you?”

“But what if she can’t? What if she dies today and she hasn’t made any plans for me? What will happen then?”

“I don’t really know, sweetie. But that
won’t happen today.”

“Will you talk to her and ask if I can come live with you? I don’t want to leave Bellingwood. I’m finally making friends and I can help you at Sycamore House. I can help in the barn and cook for you and I won’t take very much space. Please don’t let someone else take me away.”

Polly gulped back a breath. “Oh, Rebecca,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I promise to be good. I’d study hard and get good grades. I’d do whatever you told me to do.” Rebecca started to weep.

“Oh sweetie,” Polly unbuckled her seatbelt and reached across to hug Rebecca. She unbuckled Rebecca’s belt and pulled her across the seat into her lap and held on while the two of them cried.

“I’m really scared, Polly.”

“I know you are, honey.” There were so many things this poor little girl had to be afraid of. It was one thing to face the loss of the one person who had been there for her entire life, but it was an entirely different thing to be helpless in a big world with no one around for protection.

Polly pushed Rebecca back so she could look into her eyes. “I promise you that I will speak with your mother and find out what is really happening with her cancer. We need to help her fight to get better so that you don’t have to worry about living without her. That’s the first step, okay?”

Rebecca nodded, her lips still quivering.

“I also promise that I will talk to her about you. It might very well be that she already has a plan in place and now is the time to assure you that she’s thought about this and that you will be safe no matter what happens.”

“But what if she doesn’t have a plan?”

“Then I will find a way to help her make one.”

“Can I stay with you?”             

“I don’t know if that’s what she wants, but …” Polly gripped Rebecca’s shoulders, “we will talk about all of the possibilities, okay? I’m not saying no to you. I’m just saying that we don’t have enough information yet.”

She pulled the little girl in for another hug. “Does this help?”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay. You get buckled back in and we’ll pick up a robe and a candle for your mom.” Polly helped Rebecca back to her seat and re-buckled her own seatbelt. Her mind was racing. Henry was just going to love this. He was already annoyed at her for offering to take care of Sarah Heater. What was he going to say if she considered adopting an orphaned child? Her stomach flip flopped. What in the world had she gotten into?

She was distracted the entire time they shopped, agreeing with Rebecca’s choices as they looked for a robe. They made it through the check-out lane and were walking back to the truck when Polly heard a familiar voice several vehicles away. She looked up and saw Lori Victor with a short, stocky man. Lori’s face was red and she was jabbing her finger into his chest. Polly didn’t recognize the man and couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was definitely an argument. He was as angry as Lori was. She looked for the BMW and when she found it, was surprised that Seth wasn’t there. That was strange.

“Do you know them?” Rebecca asked.

Polly’s first inclination was to get in the car and slink away, but the more she thought about it, the bolder she got. “I know her. Here, you get in the truck. I’m going to introduce myself.” She handed the keys to Rebecca and strode across the lot.

“Hi Lori,” she called out as she approached. The woman looked at her in shock. “I thought that was you. Where’s Seth?”

This time it was the man’s turn to look at Lori in shock while she stood there dumbfounded.

Polly reached them and stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m Polly Giller from Bellingwood. You are?”

He automatically shook her hand and his face turned white. “Barry, uh, Barry Manush.”

“Oh, are you from around here?” Polly knew she was being horribly intrusive, but the woman had upset her yesterday and she wasn’t about to let her off the hook.”

“He’s a friend. He’s helping me.”

“Oh,” Polly nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Manush. So, where is Seth today?” She turned back to Lori. After all the fuss that woman had made about not being able to leave her son, it was surprising to see her without him.

“He’s being
cared for,” Lori said shortly. “Excuse us, we need to go.”

“Well, it’s good to see you. I’m glad you were able to get out a little bit. It has to be difficult being cooped up all day long with a little boy, especially when he’s missing his daddy.”

Lori grabbed the man by his upper arm and spun him away, walking toward her car. Polly gave a little chuckle and went back to her truck and crawled in. “Are you ready to see your mom?” she asked Rebecca.

“Thank you for buying this, Polly.” Rebecca held up the bags with the robe and candle arrangement.

“You’re welcome, Rebecca.”

“Who was that?”

“That was Lori Victor and a friend of hers.”

“Was it her husband who was killed last week?”

“Yes it was.”

“She seemed awfully mad at that man.”

“Yes she did.” Polly glanced back at the parking lot, looking for the BMW. She saw it leave and then saw another vehicle follow it out. They hadn’t arrived together. Polly pressed down on the gas to try to catch up to the second car, but he turned east and she needed to go back west to get to the road leading to the hospital.

“Screw it,” she said and flipped on her left turn signal. When she realized what she’d said in front of a little girl, she slapped a hand of her mouth. “Sorry!”

“What?” Rebecca asked, giggling. “Mom’s said worse.”

“Make sure you’re buckled in. I’m checking something out.” She pressed down harder on the gas and zipped past a couple of cars. Barry Manush had gotten to Highway 30 and was speeding up. “We’re going to be just a little later than I expected,” Polly said and ran the stop sign to catch up with him.

“Wow,” was all Rebecca could say.

“Yep. Wow. Hold on.”

Polly finally got close and said, “It’s a Missouri license plate,” and she said the numbers out loud several times. “There’s a napkin in the glove compartment and here’s a pencil. Write that down, will you?” She repeated it several more times until she was sure Rebecca had it, then turned off on the Highway 17 exit when Manush continued west toward Ames.

“I’m not sure what I was doing there, Rebecca. Promise you won’t tell anyone?” she giggled.

“I promise, but that was fun! Why did you chase him?”

“Because there’s something strange going on with Bruce Victor’s wife and I have a funny feeling that he might be connected to Annalise Stephens.”

“Who’s that?”

“Oh,” Polly grinned. “Well, Annalise Stephens is married to Patrick and he’s one of the owners of the winery where Bruce Victor’s body was found.”

“Do you think he’s the killer?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I do know that he and Lori Victor acted very guilty when I showed up today.”

“Are you going to tell the Sheriff?”

Polly stopped at a stop sign and signaled a left turn. “I should, shouldn’t I?”

They drove alongside an empty coal train as it traveled west and Polly made her way to the hospital. When she parked the truck, she turned to Rebecca. “I’m also going to ask your mom if she would consider moving into Sycamore House until she’s feeling better. I think she should be somewhere safe with people around who can take care of her.”

“Really? That would be great!”

“I’m going to ask her, but if she says no, we’re both going to be okay with that, right?”

“She won’t say no. She can’t say no.” Rebecca grabbed the bags with her gifts. “I won’t let her say no.”

“Then let’s go upstairs and see if we can cheer her up. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

The two of them went in to Sarah Heater’s hospital room. She was sitting up in bed and looked better than she had in days. Rebecca ran into the room and jumped on the bed, hugging her mom. Sarah held her tight and Rebecca relaxed into her, allowing the woman to stroke her hair. Polly reached over and took the bags from Rebecca and sat down beside them in a chair.

Finally Rebecca sat back up and said, “We chased a bad man today, mom. Polly even ran a stop sign.”

The shock on Polly’s face matched Sarah’s. “Rebecca!” Polly said.

The little girl clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“A bad man?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know if he was a bad man. I just wanted to get his license plate because he’s involved with the wife of the man who was killed last week.”

“And you chased him.”

“Well, it wasn’t so much chasing as it was racing to catch up. He wasn’t really trying to get away from me, he just had a head start.” Polly laughed. “We weren’t in any danger.”

The woman nodded and her eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I guess a little excitement is good for the heart, but …”

“I’m sorry,” Polly
said. “I should be more careful with Rebecca in the car. Please don’t worry. I’m generally a very safe driver.”

“We brought you a present!” Rebecca said and reached out for the bags. Polly handed them both to her and Rebecca opened the first one. “We got you a robe so that you can be warm while you’re in the hospital. This one is soft and pretty.” It was quite pretty; yellow with a soft blue pattern woven throughout. “And we got you this. Polly says you can’t light a candle in here, but it still smells good. I know you like candles.”